Lake Forest College vs Hamilton College

Lake Forest College and Hamilton College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Lake Forest, nestled in the charming town of Lake Forest, Illinois, boasts a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community feel. Hamilton, located in the vibrant college town of Clinton, New York, offers a larger student population and a more diverse range of academic programs. While Lake Forest prides itself on its strong pre-professional programs, Hamilton excels in the humanities and social sciences. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, to determine which college best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Hamilton College	Lake Forest College
Overview
Location	Clinton, New York	Lake Forest, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	14.1%	64.4%
Application fees	$60	$50
SAT range	1410 - 1540	1130 - 1345
ACT range	33 - 35	26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	20.0%	15.0%
Total number of applicants	9,380	4,358
Total number of admissions given out	1,320	2,808
Admitted students who chose to enroll	533	417
Yield rate	40.4%	14.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,700	$66,400
Average net price	$26,803	$25,126
Tuition	$59,380	$50,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,320 Meal plan: $6,910	Room/dormitory: $5,540 Meal plan: $5,958
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	55.0% Average amount $47,867	100.0% Average amount $38,182
Students receiving federal student loan	35.0% Average amount $4,331	43.0% Average amount $5,895
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,195	4.0% Average amount $15,800

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,055 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%	1,661 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%
Graduate students	N/A	29 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	45.4%
International students	6.8%	15.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,057	1,236
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Illinois Arizona California Colorado Minnesota

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Mathematics and Statistics	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.5%	73.0%
Dropout rate	0.8%	4.8%
Transferred out	6.8%	22.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,571 Year 2: $63,501 Year 3: $84,359 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,593 Year 2: $59,045 Year 3: $74,628 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,577 Year 2: $53,894 Year 3: $56,960 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,772 Year 3: N/A International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: N/A Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,978 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A	Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,498 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $58,948 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,662 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $50,604 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,515 Year 2: $40,647 Year 3: $46,215 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,630 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $42,995 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,945 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $37,497 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,373 Year 2: $23,807 Year 3: $32,580 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,153 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,832 Year 3: N/A Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,544 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,197 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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